illegal immigration
Illegal Immigrants flooding through Canada into the US include known suspected terrorists
A Border Patrol agent standing watch at the Montana-Canada border in the CBP Spokane Sector.
From The Center Square
Illegal border crossings at northern border continue to break records
May totals highest for the month in US history
Illegal border crossings at the northern border continue to break records, according to the latest data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
A record-breaking 18,644, were apprehended illegally entering the U.S. at the northern border in May, the highest total for the month of May in recorded history.
The northern border has seen the highest number of illegal entries in U.S. history under the Biden administration, The Center Square has reported.
In the first eight months of fiscal 2024, more than 99,000 were apprehended after illegally entering through the northern border, according to CBP data. If the current trajectory continues, the numbers are on track to surpass fiscal 2023 apprehensions of 147,666.
Those numbers are up from 92,737 apprehensions in fiscal 2022 and 24,895 in fiscal 2021.
CBP’s fiscal year begins Oct. 1.
The data excluded “gotaways,” the official term used by CBP to describe foreign nationals who illegally enter the U.S. between ports of entry and don’t return to Mexico or Canada. CBP does not publicly report this data. The Center Square first began obtaining it from a Border Patrol agent on condition of anonymity to provide a more accurate picture of monthly apprehension data.
The busiest sector at the northern border is the Swanton Sector, which includes all of Vermont, six upstate New York counties and three New Hampshire counties.
The sector spans 295 miles of international boundary with the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and is the first international land boundary east of the Great Lakes.
In fiscal 2023, Swanton Sector Border Patrol agents broke previous records by apprehending the greatest number of illegal border crossers in history of more than 6,700 foreign nationals from 76 countries, The Center Square exclusively reported.
They continue to break records.
“In less than 9 months, Swanton Sector Border Patrol Agents have apprehended more than 10,000 subjects from 83 countries,” Chief Border Patrol Agent Robert Garcia said. The total so far this fiscal year, as of June 10, was more than the sector’s entire record-setting fiscal 2023 year, he said. “We continue to see an unprecedented increase of illegal entries across eastern New York and Vermont.”
This is after northern border apprehensions reached their highest level in U.S. history in the first six months of fiscal 2024, with Swanton Sector agents apprehending in one week more than they did in fiscal 2021, The Center Square reported.
Border Patrol agents at the northern border are also apprehending the greatest number of known or suspected terrorists (KSTs), according to CBP data. In the first six months of fiscal 2024, they apprehended 143 KSTs, The Center Square reported, including an Iranian with terrorist ties.
That number is now up to 199, according to CBP data as of June 20. By comparison, 117 KSTs were apprehended at the southwest border over the same time period.
The U.S.-Canada border is the longest international border in the world of 5,525 miles. Unlike the U.S.-Mexico border, there are no border walls or similar barriers separating the U.S. from Canada and most of the northern border is unmanned and unpatrolled.
Numerous reports indicate that lack of operational control at the northern border poses a serious national security threat, The Center Square first reported.
“The northern border is under-resourced by far compared to the southwest border,” former Border Patrol chief Mark Morgan told The Center Square. “But at the same time, it still represents significant threats. Cartels are expanding their operations, flying people into Canada, which doesn’t require a visa, presenting an opportunity for terrorist watch-listed individuals to exploit. It’s much easier to get to Canada to come across.”
The Swanton Sector is currently hiring, Garcia says, offering up to $30,000 in incentives for new recruits, up from $20,000 hiring incentives offered in February.
Garcia also emphasizes how the local community plays a vital role supporting Border Patrol efforts. “Agents rely on the vigilance of our community,” he said. “Swanton Sector received more than 1,000 suspicious activity reports in 2023 and we are grateful for every call. We cannot effectively do our job without assistance from the public.”
As record numbers continue to pour through the northern border, he’s appealing to the public, saying, “We need your help now more than ever. YOUR call matters! 1-800-689-3362.”
Daily Caller
Mayor of Chicago Vows To Fight Trump’s Immigration Crackdown As Notorious Venezuelan Gang Takes Root In His City
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
Democrat Mayor Brandon Johnson on Tuesday vowed to fight the incoming Trump administration’s plans to crack down on illegal immigration and sanctuary cities, even as the city struggles with its own presence of migrant gang crime.
When asked if he was prepared to resist President-elect Donald Trump’s preparations to deploy “a squad” of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to sanctuary cities like Chicago and attempts to withhold federal funds from sanctuary governments, Johnson reaffirmed his commitment to local laws that prevent cooperation with immigration enforcement authorities. The comments came despite recent reports indicating organized migrant crime has been hitting the Windy City, particularly from Tren de Aragua, an international crime syndicate originating from Venezuela.
“We’re going to defend the people of this city because, look, his attack — let’s be very clear — the president-elect, former President Trump, his threat is not just toward new arrivals and undocumented families,” Johnson said. “His threats are also against black families.”
“We’re going to stand up and protect undocumented individuals,” the mayor went on, and continued to make a connection between immigration enforcement and racial animus.
The mayor’s comments were in reaction to former ICE director Tom Homan, who has been tapped by the president-elect to serve as “border czar” for the upcoming administration. In his announcement of the appointment, Trump said Homan would be in charge of all deportations of illegal migrants.
“If you are not going to help us, get the hell out of the way because we’re gonna do it,” Homan said on Monday in his first interview since his appointment, speaking on expected pushback from anti-ICE politicians. “So, if we can’t get assistance in New York City, we may have to double the number of agents we send in New York City.”
“We are going to do the job,” Homan continued. “Sanctuary cities are sanctuaries for criminals.”
Law enforcement authorities confirmed in September that Tren de Aragua members have been arrested in Cook County — where Chicago is located — on weapons and narcotics charges, and internal emails obtained from the Cook County Sheriff’s office confirmed that members of the Venezuelan gang are in the city, according to NBC Chicago. The arrival of Tren de Aragua — which has coincided with Chicago’s own migrant crisis — has been linked to a rise in crime and has led to concerns of an impending turf war between their members and local gangs in the city, according to Fox 32.
The Chicago Police Department has arrested at least 30 suspected Tren de Aragua members between January 2023 and September of this year, documents obtained by the New York Post indicate.
Chicago officials have welcomed in at least 43,000 migrants since August 2022 and have so far spent around $150 million to house and feed them, amid the border crisis that began under the Biden-Harris administration. Many of the foreign nationals are from Venezuela and have largely been bussed into the city by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as he has sought to relieve his own state.
A growing number of Democratic politicians, such as the mayor of Los Angeles and a slate of governors across the country, have also declared their opposition to Trump’s hardline immigration agenda.
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Business
Sanctuary State Told To Cut Spending On Hotel Stays For Migrants As Costs Expected To Hit $1 Billion
From the Daily Caller News Foundation
By Jason Hopkins
A state commission is encouraging Massachusetts to cut costs on emergency shelter services for migrants and other families by spending less on expensive hotels.
The emergency shelter system in Massachusetts housing migrant families and others experiencing homelessness is expected to spend over $1 billion in fiscal year 2025, according to a state commission report investigating the matter. The report comes as Massachusetts, a sanctuary state that limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities, is continuing to experience financial hardship over the border crisis and an influx of migrants into their communities.
The draft report proposed spending less on the most expensive accommodations for migrants — which would include hotels and motels. Prior reports have found that housing migrants in hotels or motels in the state can be as costly as $300 per night.
“Since the EA shelter system reached capacity at 7,500 families last year, approximately 50% of families have been in hotels and motels across the state,” the report stated. “The Commission recommends limiting reliance on hotels and motels to best serve families and increase the financial and operational efficiency of the system, while recognizing that hotels and motels may be a last-resort option for surge capacity at times of rapid changes in demand.”
“Data suggests that hotels and motels are the most expensive type of shelter in the EA system,” the report concluded. It also noted that the state’s shelter caseload and system costs have skyrocketed to “unsustainable levels” since 2022.
The immigration crisis taking place under the Biden-Harris administration has hit Massachusetts particularly hard. Roughly 355,000 illegal migrants and other inadmissible foreign nationals live in the state, and approximately 50,000 have arrived since 2021, according to the Center for Immigration Studies.
Democrat Gov. Maura Healey, in her efforts to clamp down on the state’s crisis, has publicly called on illegal immigrants to not go to Massachusetts, offered plane tickets for them to leave, and has asked residents to take in migrant families. The state has also experienced a rising number of deportation cases as illegal migrants continue to flock there.
Despite the growing pains with mass illegal immigration, the governor has remained steadfast in her opposition to President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for an immigration crackdown, and she confirmed that her state’s law enforcement would “absolutely not” help with mass deportation efforts. The entire state of Massachusetts is considered a sanctuary for illegal migrants for its laws limiting cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The state legislature appropriated $639 million to the emergency assistance shelter system for fiscal year 2025, according to the report. However, expense projections are expected to hit $1.094 billion – leaving a shortfall of roughly $455 million for the fiscal year.
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